Piñatas: The High Art of Celebration

The Craft in America Center is pleased to present a dynamic in-person and virtual exhibition of about fifty works made by fifteen artists and artist collectives from across the U.S. and Mexico, which focuses on the overlooked craft of handmade piñatas and piñata-based art objects.

Craft in America, Piñatas
Piñatas: The High Art of Celebration at Craft in America, Gallery Installation View. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Piñatas: The High Art of Celebration at Craft in America, Gallery Installation View. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.

Piñatas, ubiquitous and often the focal point of parties and festive occasions across the U.S., are handcrafted and ephemeral objects that signify happiness, joy, release, and celebration. This exhibition touches on the role that they play in modern material culture and how they are made to embody social commentary, along with the ways that artists address piñatas as conceptual and technical launching points for their vision. 

The work of traditional piñata artisans is presented alongside the creations of artists who reinvent and reinterpret the piñata through engaging sculptural practices. The contemporary artists featured in this exhibition reconsider the techniques, materials, form, function, and notion of the piñata, forming a new language for expression. 

Piñatas are a deeply rooted Mexican tradition that has become widespread and beloved across cultures. Piñatas are accessible by nature and made from relatively humble materials. They are shapeshifters that can be created to take any form, be that of a creature, shape, figure, or idea. Considering their popularity in our lives and how many memories are made around piñata play, this contemporary form of cultural craft has been relatively unexamined.

As creators of material culture, craft makers design and build the relics of our everyday, modern world. This exhibition touches on the ephemeral and performative nature of certain forms of craft. Craft today plays a part in our traditions, our celebrations, our relationships, and it deepens how we experience life, even when it is destroyed or discarded after use. 

Piñatas are intertwined with childhood experiences, gatherings of family and friends, and celebratory turning points in life– all of which have become much more precious to us in this era of COVID. As markers of these events, piñatas have new resonance and meaning today. They continue to be shaped to reflect changing times. This exhibition spotlights makers who creatively generate these objects in response to our shifting world.

For programming related to this exhibition see the links to the right (desktop), bottom (mobile), or click here for all upcoming events.

For inquiries or more information, contact center@craftinamerica.org


Virtual Gallery

Click and drag, or use your arrow keys, to see a 360º view of the virtual space, including tags with object information and images.

Exhibition Catalog:

Printed copies of this catalog are available on Blurb for $15.

Click on the catalog to view full screen and zoom options yumpu nav button


View the objects in the exhibition below and click on each image for additional information.

Image Gallery:

Piñatas as Fantasy

Roberto Benavidez

Benavidez is a figurative sculptor originally from South Texas, now based in Los Angeles. After studying bronze casting at Pasadena City College, Benavidez later switched to paper because it was a more accessible medium. This material shift led him to focus on the piñata technique, a familiar form from childhood. 

For his landscape piñatas, in this case one of the pristine beaches on Santa Rosa in the Channel Islands, Benavidez uses the feathery qualities of his paper medium and crisp cuts to create reflectivity, depth, perspective, and variations of color and light.

Benavidez plays with underlying themes of ephemerality, race, and sin in his impeccably crafted works. 

Piñatas: The High Art of Celebration at Craft in America, Gallery Installation View. Photo Credit: Madison Metro, Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Javelina Girl (Illuminated Piñata No. 14). 2019. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Piñatas: The High Art of Celebration at Craft in America, Gallery Installation View. Photo Credit: Madison Metro, Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Illuminated Piñata No. 1, 2017. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.
Piñatas: The High Art of Celebration at Craft in America, Gallery Installation View. Photo Credit: Madison Metro, Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Illuminated Piñata No. 5., 2017. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.
Roberto Benavidez, Illuminated Piñata No. 2, Craft in America
Roberto Benavidez, Illuminated Piñata No. 2, 2017. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Piñatas: The High Art of Celebration at Craft in America, Gallery Installation View. Photo Credit: Madison Metro, Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Installation Image, Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Illuminated Hybrid No. 2, 2019. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Illuminated Hybrid No. 1, 2019. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Illuminated Hybrid No. 3, 2019. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Installation Image, 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Moonrise Over Skunk Point, 2021. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Moonrise Over Skunk Point (detail), 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Piñathko No. 2, 2015. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Piñathko No. 16, 2015. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Piñathko No. 17, 2015. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Piñathko No. 18, 2015. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Piñathko No. 19, 2015. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Piñathko No. 20, 2015. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Piñathko No. 22, 2015. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Piñathko No. 23, 2015. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Piñathko No. 24, 2015. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Piñathko No. 25, 2015. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Piñathko No. 26, 2015. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Piñathko No. 30, 2015. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Roberto Benavidez, Installation Image, 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.

Piñatas in 2D

Francisco Palomares

Palomares is a first-generation Boyle Heights native who is inspired by the Spanish master painters and the way that brush strokes can convey visual narratives. He reframes present-day social struggles through the lens of art historical precedent.

Palomares highlights the beauty of the mundane and ordinary by taking his subjects out of context, making them worthy of a more thoughtful look.

Craft in America, Piñatas
Francisco Palomares, Agarrate Papa, 2020. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Francisco Palomares, Piñata y Dulces, 2016. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Francisco Palomares, Guapo, 2021. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Francisco Palomares, Chulo, 2021. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Francisco Palomares, Installation Image, 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.

Political Piñatas

Diana Benavidez

Benavidez is a Binational artist who explores piñata-making as a method of expression and storytelling. Her piñatas reflect her experiences growing up along the San Diego/Tijuana border, her identity, and culture. Her work is known for introducing materials not commonly found in traditional piñatas including media and technology.

Craft in America, Piñatas
Diana Benavidez, La Pinche Migra (from Vehículos Transfronterizos series), 2019. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Diana Benavidez, Border Crosser (from Vehículos Transfronterizos series), 2019. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Diana Benavidez, La Guayina (from Vehículos Transfronterizos series), 2019. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Diana Benavidez, Installation of Border Crosser and La Pinche Migra (from Vehículos Transfronterizos series), 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.

Piñatas and Pop Culture

Ana Serrano

Serrano is a first-generation Mexican American originally from Los Angeles and now based in Portland. Inspired by the intersection of her dual cultural identities, she is best known for using brightly-colored cardboard and paper to highlight elements of Latinx culture.

Ana Serrano, Piñatitas: Walter Mercado, Craft in America, Piñatas
Ana Serrano, Piñatitas: Walter Mercado, 2012. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Ana Serrano, Piñatitas: Juan Gabriel, Craft in America, Piñatas
Ana Serrano, Piñatitas: Juan Gabriel, 2012. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Ana Serrano, Piñatitas: Irma Serrano, Craft in America, Piñatas
Ana Serrano, Piñatitas: Irma Serrano, 2012. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Ana Serrano, Piñatitas, María del Barrio, 2012, Craft in America, Piñatas
Ana Serrano, Piñatitas, María del Barrio, 2012. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Ana Serrano, Piñatitas El Chapulín Colorado, 2012, Craft in America, Piñatas
Ana Serrano, Piñatitas El Chapulín Colorado, 2012. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Ana Serrano, Piñatitas Gloria Trevi, 2012, Craft in America, Piñatas
Ana Serrano, Piñatitas Gloria Trevi, 2012. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Ana Serrano, Piñatitas Julio César Chávez, 2012, Craft in America, Piñatas
Ana Serrano, Piñatitas Julio César Chávez, 2012. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Ana Serrano, Piñatitas Cantínflas, 2012. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Ana Serrano, Piñatitas Jesus Malverde, 2012. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Ana Serrano, Installation Image, 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America, Piñatas
Ana Serrano, Installation Image, 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.

Piñata Landscapes

Justin Favela

Las Vegas artist Favela is best known for large-scale installations and sculptures that manifest his interactions with American pop culture and the Latinx experience. His painting series pays homage to the legacy of Mexican and Latin American  masterworks.

Justin Favela, Baño de los Pescaditos (after José María Velasco), 2019, Craft in America, Piñatas
Justin Favela, Baño de los Pescaditos (after José María Velasco), 2019. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.

Sita Bhaumik

Bhaumik uses art as a strategy to connect memory and history with the urgent social issues of our time. Estamos Contra el Muro / We Are Against the Wall was a collaborative project she led that was installed at Southern Exposure gallery in San Francisco. In response to the 2016 election, a wall built of hand-crafted piñatas in the form of cinder blocks was installed and ultimately, at the close of the exhibition, community members gathered to destroy the proxy wall as one would a piñata, in an act of defiance against the proposed wall at the border of the US and Mexico.

Craft in America, Piñatas
Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik in collaboration with Cece Carpio, La Pelanga, Norma Listman, People’s Kitchen Collective, Piñatas Las Morenitas Martínez, and Little Piñata Maker Estamos contra el muro | We are against the wall, 2016. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik in collaboration with Cece Carpio, La Pelanga, Norma Listman, People’s Kitchen Collective, Piñatas Las Morenitas Martínez, and Little Piñata Maker Estamos contra el muro | We are against the wall, 2016. Photo: Sana Javeri Kadri
Craft in America, Piñatas
Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik in collaboration with Cece Carpio, La Pelanga, Norma Listman, People’s Kitchen Collective, Piñatas Las Morenitas Martínez, and Little Piñata Maker Estamos contra el muro | We are against the wall, 2016. Photo: Sana Javeri Kadri
craft in america, Piñatas
Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik in collaboration with Cece Carpio, La Pelanga, Norma Listman, People’s Kitchen Collective, Piñatas Las Morenitas Martínez, and Little Piñata Maker Estamos contra el muro | We are against the wall, 2016. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.

Isaias Rodriguez

Originally from Boyle Heights, CA, Rodríguez is a multimedia artist known as Little Piñata Maker. Several years ago, he made his first piñata to hang from his car’s rear view mirror and he now creates limited edition series and custom orders, each piñata no larger than about 4 inches tall and wide. 

Isaias Rodriguez, resilience, 2021, Craft in America, Piñatas
Isaias Rodriguez, resilience, 2021. Photo: Matthew Hermosillo.
Isaias Rodriguez, resilience, 2021, Craft in America, Piñatas
Isaias Rodriguez installation of resilience, 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.

Piñatas and Permanence

Piñata Design Studio

Founded by Yesenia Prieto and co-owned with Mia Baez, La Piñata Design Studio is led by third generation Los Angeles piñata makers and designers reinventing the traditional craft of piñata making through their custom piñatas, sculptures, masks, and installations. They create larger than life installation projects for companies and museums such as LACMA, Microsoft, Google, and celebrities such as Rihanna.

Craft in America, Piñatas
Yesenia Prieto, Mia Baez, and Andrew Munguia, In God We Trust, 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Yesenia Prieto, Mia Baez, and Andrew Munguia, In God We Trust (detail), 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Yesenia Prieto, Mia Baez, and Andrew Munguia, In God We Trust (detail), 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Yesenia Prieto, Mia Baez, and Andrew Munguia, All the Glitters, 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Yesenia Prieto, Mia Baez, and Andrew Munguia, All the Glitters (detail), 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.

Piñatas as Commentary

Giovanni Valderas 

Dallas native mixed media artist Giovanni Valderas incorporates and deconstructs elements of the traditional piñata in order to transform the piñata’s original identity as one of gratuitous celebration, into one of cultural construct. 

The Casita Triste series guerrilla site-specific project draws inspiration from the brightly painted homes found in predominantly Latinx communities, which are quickly disappearing due to displacement and gentrification. Through the inclusion of cartoonish anthropomorphic elements, each piñata house speaks to the fragility, history, and experiences of the marginalized community.

Craft in America, Piñatas
Giovanni Valderas, Installation Image of Casita Triste (Sad Little House), 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Giovanni Valderas, Casita Triste (Sad Little House), 2017. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Giovanni Valderas, A Marginal Universe, 2019. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Giovanni Valderas, No Hay Pedo (Canary), 2016. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.

Piñata as Performance

Josue Ramirez

Josué Ramírez AKA Rawmirez is a multidisciplinary artist working in installation, craft, video, and performance. Rawmirez works in the Rio Grande Valley, along the Texas/Mexico border, and his current work investigates relationships between personal identity and location. 

Craft in America, Piñatas
Josue Ramirez, Piñata People (Orange), 2021. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Josue Ramirez, Piñata People (Orange) Installation, 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.

Piñatas and Cultural Tradition

Amazing Piñatas / Lorena Robletto

Amazing Piñatas was formed by owner Lorena Robletto nearly a decade ago. After consulting for immigrant-owned businesses and serving as a social worker for immigrant families, Robletto turned her focus towards the artistry of piñatas and set up a shop in the Los Angeles Piñata District. Her studio and storefront is now located in Mid City, where her team creates custom piñatas of any scale along with ready-made piñatas and various signature designs. She frequently makes props and commissions for the entertainment industry and other branded events.

Craft in America, Piñatas
Lorena Robletto (Amazing Piñatas), Seven Point Star Installation, 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Lorena Robletto (Amazing Piñatas), Alebrije Installation, 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Lorena Robletto (Amazing Piñatas), Geometric Piñata Installation (Center), 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America

Dignicraft

The Collaborative Piñata is a long-term project to establish a dialogue between Purepecha crafts people and cultural agents from the region of Baja California, Mexico and Southern California, U.S.A. The border city of Rosarito, Baja California, is home to a community of up to 250 families who migrated north more than 1,500 miles from their ancestral homeland located in the island of Janitzio, Michoacan, and adopted the making of piñatas as their craft and main source of living.

Craft in America, Piñatas
Dignicraft in collaboration with María Rosa Guzmán Soto, Eduviges Solorio Morales, José Raúl Guzmán Soto, Nadia Iliana Guzmán Solorio, Bryan Guzmán Solorio, Evelyn Guzmán Solorio, María Amparo Guzmán Soto, Guadalupe Solorio Vargas, José Vivaldo Jacobo Guzmán, María De la Luz Solorio Morales, Javier González Cortez, Edith González Solorio, Eréndira Pineda Campos and Leonel Solorio Morales Cheremati (fisherman on canoe) and Nanachi (woman) Installation, 2015. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Dignicraft in collaboration with María Rosa Guzmán Soto, Eduviges Solorio Morales, José Raúl Guzmán Soto, Nadia Iliana Guzmán Solorio, Bryan Guzmán Solorio, Evelyn Guzmán Solorio, María Amparo Guzmán Soto, Guadalupe Solorio Vargas, José Vivaldo Jacobo Guzmán, María De la Luz Solorio Morales, Javier González Cortez, Edith González Solorio, Eréndira Pineda Campos and Leonel Solorio Morales Cheremati (fisherman on canoe) and Nanachi (woman), 2015

Piñatas for This Day and Age

Amorette Crespo

Amorette Crespo began making piñatas in 2017, when her daughter requested a Selena themed piñata for her 10th birthday. Crespo taught herself through practice, trial and error, and has been making custom piñatas ever since. From concept, to design, to prototype, to shopping for supplies to the finished product, Crespo is a one-woman operation. Crespo makes all of the piñatas in her home in El Sereno, in Los Angeles, CA, but she has customers all over the country. 

Craft in America, Piñatas
Amorette Crespo (Party Girl Piñatas) Selena, 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Amorette Crespo (Party Girl Piñatas), Hot Cheetos, 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Amorette Crespo (Party Girl Piñatas), Zoom Laptop, 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Amorette Crespo (Party Girl Piñatas) Folklorico Dancer, 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.
Craft in America, Piñatas
Amorette Crespo (Party Girl Piñatas) Selena and Hot Cheetos Installation, 2021. Mari Carson (Plaid Hamster Knits), Uterus Piñata, 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America

Mari Carson

Carson is a costume and sound designer based in the Sacramento area. She began making piñatas in 2014:

Seven years ago I was diagnosed with cervical cancer and the treatment was a radical hysterectomy. As a response, my friends threw a farewell party for my uterus. I made a piñata in the shape of a uterus, filled it with glitter, condoms, lube and the tampons I would never need again and destroyed it with a baseball bat.

Since then, I wanted to share this awesome piñata with the world. This piñata is made to order to celebrate your uterus or the uterus of someone you love.

Craft in America, Piñatas
Mari Carson (Plaid Hamster Knits), Uterus Piñata, 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America

Lisbeth Palacios

Palacios’s All Party Art is a party supply business that specializes in piñatas. Palacios began her business in Venezuela and is now based in Tampa, Florida.

Craft in America, Piñatas
Lisbeth Palacios (All Party Art), COVID Vaccine, 2021. Photo: Madison Metro, Craft in America.

Department of Cultural Affairs, DCA logo, Craft in America

This project is supported by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
www.culturela.org

Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Craft in America

Additional support for the Craft in America Center is provided by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture. www.lacountyarts.org